35 search results for “Kali Hawlk”

Do you know what your customers bought six months ago? 

Many retailers focus on looking forward and seeking new, fresh ways to make more sales. But it’s easy to get lost in the possibilities because there are countless things you could try.

Should you send out more coupons (and to which customers) or run different sales (and for which products)? It’s hard to tell which path would lead to the most sales, and you may end up randomly guessing at the best tactic for your business. 

But using data generated from past sales can help you create a strategy to increase revenues so you can stop feeling like you’re playing darts blindfolded.

You don’t have to do so much guesswork when you have the right data — and you know how to use. To get insight on what works and what doesn’t when it comes to making sales, look to the past and evaluate your customers’ order histories.

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There’s nothing more frustrating for you as the owner of an ecommerce site than to see abandoned online shopping cart. Your business may have successfully overcome every objection a customer might have to purchasing, but at the last second, you lost the sale and missed out on the revenue.

What went wrong?

The most likely answer: there was friction in your checkout process.

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Without a strong brand behind your product line, there’s little to compel a buyer to choose you over another option. And with so many options in most markets today, branding is more important than ever.

Product branding gives the items in your store an identity within the marketplace. Good branding can allow your specific products to stand out against what a competitor offers, and engender the kind of brand loyalty that pulls customers into your store (even when it’s just easier to grab something online).

That identity is built of numerous components, including:

• Logos
• Design
• Packaging
• Messaging
• Names and descriptions

It’s not about any one thing. The whole creates something bigger than the sum of the parts.

These pieces come together to create an emotional connection for the customer. If this feels a little hard to pin down, that’s because it truly is. Branding is all about a variety of aspects about your products (and store as a whole) combine to influence how shoppers feel.

It’s also the promise your products make to customers, and how they deliver. Branding is heavily influenced by the expectations you set in consumers through components of your products and whether or not you meet them.

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When it comes to converting casual browsers into eager buyers, one tactic can help prompt shoppers to action: customer reviews.

While it might feel like you could be opening a can of worms, the benefits outweigh any potential issues. For example, one recent study shows that 90% of people’s buying decisions are influenced by online reviews — which only underscores the importance of publishing the opinions of your customers.

So, how exactly do you encourage customers to leave reviews? Here, we’ll tackle the ins and outs of customer reviews, including the many benefits and how to set up a review system for your retail site.

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Your checkout counter is where a shopper becomes a paying customer. It may feel like the biggest challenge lies in getting people to the counter with items to buy — and that’s definitely a big retail accomplishment.

But you can optimize the checkout counter itself in order to make more sales. Interactions with customers here provide you with opportunities to add value to the shopping experience, promote customer loyalty, and of course, to sell just a little bit more.

Here are five strategies you can use to boost the sales-generating power of your checkout counter and the employees who work it:

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The idea of giving away your product for free can feel a little daunting. After all, someone has to pay for that — and when it comes to free samples, you eat the cost.

But don’t let that dissuade you, because free samples can generate a lot of sales for you over time. In some cases, free samples can boost sales by as much as 2,000%.

You can use free samples to:

• Introduce your product to new audiences unfamiliar with your brand.
• Foster relationships and inspire loyalty with existing customers.
• Expand shoppers’ knowledge about the products you offer.
• Encourage repeat customers and more sales of new products.
• Earn attention for your brand at or leading up to an event.

Those are all great outcomes for your business (and your revenues). Still, they require your initial investment: you need to pony up the product samples.

Before you double down and start giving everything away, it may help to understand why freebies hook customers. And more importantly, you might want to know how giving your product out for free leads to paying customers.

We set out to understand the science behind the power of free samples — and how they can lead to sales for retailers.

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Tired of trying to dream up crazy gimmicks and ploys to bolster sales?

Done with putting sponsorship dollars into an event where you hope your ideal customers will show up, see your name on some marketing collateral, and eventually wander into your store at some point in the future?

We don’t blame you. That sounds like a painful experience — and a potential waste of money.

Today’s retailers can go beyond the traditional sponsorship route of slapping up a banner with your business name on it at a conference or event. You don’t need to keep spending money, cross your fingers, and hope you guessed right to land in front of an audience who will provide you with an ROI.

Instead, get deliberate and work with the space you already have — and other businesses who share your ideal customers — to make your efforts pay off. Boost your sales by bringing potential buyers and existing customers right into your retail space.

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Think your marketing ends once a customer sets foot in the store? Believing that your work is done is a big mistake, and one that can cost you more sales.

Most marketing efforts aim to help a prospective buyer understand solutions to a problem, evaluate product or service options, and decide to make a purchase.

The methodology varies between initially buying a consumer’s attention or earning it as part of a strategy to build a larger brand audience. But the goals of each are the same: educate, inform, and persuade buyers to make a purchase.

Point of purchase marketing, however, works a little differently.

This strategy attempts to market to shoppers who are already in the store and ready to make a purchase — and it provides a last-minute way for retailers to influence the details of that decision.

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The success of your business depends on your ability to train the people who work for you.

Without proper guidance and education, your retail employees can’t perform at the level you expect. You must communicate effectively, and it’s your responsibility to ensure they fully understand your expectations and their role in your shop.

That’s not always easy. Staff training requires a lot of effort and consideration — both before you actually hire anyone and through a new hire’s first few months.

Not only do you need to educate this new employee, but you need to do so in a way that they can understand and digest all the information flowing their way. You also need to provide guidelines and feedback in a way they can act on your suggestions and know how to make great judgment calls when the situation requires it.

It’s overwhelming because training isn’t just a one-time task with a set timeframe. Great staff training programs are complex systems with a lot of moving parts — and many offer ongoing learning initiatives.

To help you overcome some of the challenges in piecing that system together for yourself, we talked to a number of experts, business owners, and retailers to get their tried and true best practices for staff training.

Here are their tips that you can use for your next hire. 

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Are you missing opportunities to increase sales and generate more revenue?

If you’re not upselling your customers, the answer is yes.

But here’s the tricky part: people don’t enjoy being sold. Pushing more products and services onto a customer who already committed to buying something from you can backfire and leave them feeling bullied, unappreciated, and downright annoyed.

The art of the upsell means taking a sale from a transaction to an interaction, from a conversion to a connection.

Doing so makes a big difference. It dramatically impacts your customer’s experience. Adding on to their original purchase becomes their decision rather than a pushy upsell.

So how do you strike a balance between making no additional offer and driving customers away with overly aggressive sales tactics? How can you encourage an upsell without being overbearing?

By using strategies that provide more value, give the customer more benefit, and create a better overall experience. Your sales can actually make customers happier and feel more connected to your company and brand.

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